Game Modes
72px|left|link=| There are six main battle types, three of which are Random Battle modes, and several more in development. You can choose different battle modes by opening the pull-down menu below the red "Battle!" button. Please note that "Special Battle" is not available until 15 minutes before specific events, such as the beginning of a Clan Battle. ='Current Game Modes'= Random Battle ---- The Random Battles battle type selection comprises three different game modes with the the following chances of getting into one of the three types; Standard Battles (60%), Assault (20%) and Encounter Battles (20%). You also have the option in Settings to disable your ability to be matched into Assault and/or Encounter Battles. Random Battle is selected by default when you click the battle button at the top of the screen, the matchmaking system will put together two teams of 15 randoms players each and randomly select a map to play on. The teams will consist of tanks of various types which are typically within up to 4 vehicle tiers of each other (a few dedicated scout tanks are the exception). Each tank has their role to play, regardless of type or tier. Because every team composition will be different, the key to victory lies in recognizing the team's relative strengths and weaknesses on the specific map against the specific enemy team, and using the advantages you have. Because teams are composed of random players (except those you platoon with), communication and team coordination can be an issue. The team with the better team work typically wins. Random battles earn credits and experience based on how well you perform in battle. See here for details. Losses and Draws are the same as far as earnings while winning adds 50% to the total earnings for experience points and 85% to credits. Note, the cost of repairs goes up as you advance in tiers. On average you can count on losing money some of the time (destroyed tank, battle lost) starting at tier 7 for non premium accounts, or tier 8 for premium accounts. The tier 8 premium tanks will only rarely lose money, even on a non premium account. Once at the higher tiers it is best to keep some lower tier tanks, tier 5 or 6, to earn credits to keep your high tier tanks operational. ;Newcomer Battle Also called the sandbox, new players (tier 1 and 2 tanks) are limited to a certain subset of maps to assist them in familiarizing themselves with World of Tanks. ;Platoons Any player may form a platoon of up to 3 players. Being part of a platoon allows those players to be placed on the same team when the platoon is placed in a battle. Platoons are identified by a shield with a number icon on the team-list, and your platoon members are highlighted with a different color in game to help you find them in the heat of battle. ;Counting In Groups of players using an external voice communications program, TeamSpeak, Mumble or the like, can attempt to get in together on the same battle by all hitting battle at the same time. It takes a good sense of timing and familiarity with the matchmaking system to be successful. You will note this usage in battle when you see 3 or 4 platoons from the same clan in the same match. The individuals and platoons joining battle in this manner have an equal chance of being on the same team or the opposing team. Battle Mode: Standard ---- left|link=| In this game mode there are two bases. You must either eliminate the opposing team or capture their base within 15 minutes to be victorious. Currently this mode has the widest map range available to Random Battles. Summer Map *Abbey *Cliff *Ensk *Fiery Salient *Fisherman's Bay *Fjords *Himmelsdorf *Karelia *Lakeville *Live Oaks *Highway *Malinovka *Mines *Mountain Pass *Murovanka *Pilsen *Prokhorovka *Ruinberg *Redshire *Siegfried Line *Stalingrad *Steppes *Tundra *Westfield *Winterberg Desert Map *Airfield *El Halluf *Sand River Arctic Map *Arctic Region *Erlenberg *Kharkov *Sacred Valley *Windstorm *Winter Himmelsdorf Limited Tier *Widepark (Battle Tier 6 and below) *Mittengard (Battle tier 1-2) Battle Mode: Assault ---- left|link=| In this game mode the one base on the map belongs to the defending team. The attacking team has no base at all and its mission is to either capture the enemy team's base or to destroy their tanks. The battle time limit is reduced to 10 minutes for this game mode. Currently limited to the following maps: *Erlenberg *Karelia *Sand River *Siegfried Line Battle Mode: Encounter ---- left|link=| In this game mode there is one base, under neither teams control at the start, and the teams spawn at opposing sides of the map from it. The goal is to either capture the base or destroy all enemy tanks. When tanks of both teams are in the base capture circle, no capture takes place. As usual, the capture bar can also be reset by damaging the vehicles in the capture circle. Currently limited to the following maps: *El Halluf *Ensk *Erlenberg *Himmelsdorf *Lakeville *Malinovka *Mines *Murovanka *Prokhorovka *Redshire *Ruinberg *Sacred Valley *Sand River *Siegfried Line *Steppes Battle Mode: Grand Battles In this game mode, 30 players on each team will fight each other. Only tier X tanks can participate in this battle mode. Currently limited to the following maps: * Nebelburg * Klondike Team Battles ---- left|link=| Introduced in update 9.4, Team Battle mode is "7/54 format". Each team has seven players and is comprised of a maximum of fifty-four total tier points. Minimum tier is tier VI, maximum is tier VIII. Teams consist of either six tier VIII tanks and one tier VI, or five tier VIII and two tier VII tanks. Unique to Team Battles is a two-flag Assault Game mode, with one team defending two separate capture circles. Capture time is accelerated to 120 seconds (up from 100 seconds in standard battles), and the battle time limit is seven minutes. Team Battles put a strong emphasis on co-ordination and communication, and are the current form of WoT professional competitions such as WGLNA. Battles are a maximum of ten (10) minutes. The following tanks are most commonly used in Team Battles: *T37 *Cromwell *Type 64 *M41 Walker Bulldog *T29 *T49 *AMX 13 90 *Ru 251 *T54 Ltwt. *WZ-132 *Object 416 *T32 *T34 *AMX 50 100 *IS-3 *IS-6 *110 *112 Team Battles currently use the following maps: *Arctic Region *Cliff *Himmelsdorf *Winter Himmelsdorf *Kharkov *Lakeville *Mines *Murovanka *Prokhorovka *Ruinberg *Winter Ruinberg *Siegfried Line *Steppes *Tundra Team Battles mode uses a skill-based matchmaking system based on players' personal ratings. When a team submits to battle, they will enter a matchmaking queue. The matchmaker attempts to assign an opponent of similar rating. If a similarly-rated team can not be found after five minutes, the team is matched to any available team. If no other teams are in the queue, the team will return to the team formation screen. Update 9.7, introduced ranked Team Battles. Ranked battles feature permanent teams of up to twelve players (with seven able to play at any one time) and team-specific ratings used for matchmaking. Ranked team are shown the selected battle map before the battle starts and tanks are selected. Prior to update 9.4, Team Battle mode was "7/42 format". This mode also featured seven players on each team, but comprised of a maximum of forty-two combined tier points. Minimum tier was tier I, maximum was tier VIII. Typical teams featured five tier VIII tanks and two tier I tanks. The battle mode was standard Encounter Battle, with one flag for each team. Team Training ---- left|link=| In this mode, you can make your own room and select the map you wish to play. Then, decide if you want the game to be open to the public, or use the "invite" feature to play only with friends. After the player has responded and joined, drag their name to the appropriate team and start your Battle. Many players use this mode for experiments with various tank mechanics, learning new maps, strategic planning and movement, and the teaching of those new to the game in 1 vs 1 matches. You will not gain any experience points or credits in this mode and your vehicle repairs are free, but you will still need to pay for expended shells and equipment (consumables used). Tank Company Battle ---- left|link=| In this battle version, players can form their own team by inviting friends or allowing random players to join their company. Team rosters are built using a point system. After forming your team, it will be placed into the Tank Companies Matchmaker. This matchmaker is similar to the 'Random Battle' matchmaker, however, the algorithm used needs at least 4 teams formed to function properly. It is impossible for the matchmaker to create a battle without at least 4 tank companies being ready. Players in a tank company are able to communicate with their teammates using the game's voice chat feature. Each team in a Tank Companies Battle will receive credits and experience in accordance with damage dealt, etc. The winning team, however, will receive a percentage of the losing team's credits and experience, causing the losing team to gain less experience and credits than they would normally expect. Companies are available in 4 divisions. Junior, Medium , Champion and Absolute. The "total tier level" indicates the minimum and maximum sum of tiers of all the tanks in the company. Junior Tank Company ---- Total tier level : minimum 20 pts - maximum 40 pts Artillery level : 2-4 Tank destroyer level : 2-4 Light tank level : 1-3 Medium tank level : 2-4 Heavy tank level : 4 Medium Tank Company ---- Total tier level : minimum 40 pts - maximum 60 pts Artillery level : 2-6 Tank destroyer level : 2-6 Light tank level : 1-4 Medium tank level : 2-6 Heavy tank level : 4-6 Champion Tank Company ---- Total tier level : minimum 60 pts - maximum 90 pts Artillery level : 2-8 Tank destroyer level : 2-8 Light tank level : 1-8 Medium tank level : 2-8 Heavy tank level : 4-8 Absolute Tank Company ---- Total tier level : minimum 90 pts - maximum 150 pts Artillery level : 2-10 Tank destroyer level : 2-10 Light tank level : 1-10 Medium tank level : 1-10 Heavy tank level : 4-10 Tank company comparison table ---- Division (Sum lvl) L M H TD SPG Junior (20-40) 1-3 1-4 4 2-4 2-4 Medium (40-60) 1-4 1-6 4-6 2-6 2-6 Champion (60-90) 1-8 1-8 4-8 2-8 2-8 Absolute (90-150) 1-10 1-10 4-10 2-10 2-10 Clan Wars ---- left|link=| Clan Wars is the browser-based, multiplayer, military and geopolitical component of World of Tanks. The Global Map is Clan Wars' theater of operations, divided into provinces currently limited to Europe, The Middle East, Northern and Western Africa. The gameplay of this mode is based on the strategic struggle between clans for ownership of provinces on the Global Map. In this game mode armored forces of different clans are represented by chips. The number of a clan’s chips is equal to the number of players in the clan that have played at least one battle in any vehicle of Tier V or higher. Such players provide one chip to the clan no matter how many vehicles of Tier V and up they have played. Every clan possesses one headquarters. Headquarters can be relocated from one province to another and is used to dispatch clan’s chips from reserve to Global Map. Commanders and Deputy Commanders manage chips distribution on Global Map. Other clan members can observe the location and movement of their clan’s forces and headquarters. Once a battle is placed, fifteen minutes before the battle starts, the normally grayed out special battles at the top of the screen will become active, from there you wait in a lobby that is similar to the company battle's lobby until the battle starts. Once the battle has ended, all Clan members are notified in the announcements section at the bottom right of the game whether they lost or have won the battle. For further details see the wiki's guide here and the official guide here. Strongholds ---- left|link=| In release 9.2 Strongholds was added to World of Tanks. Strongholds is a game mode available to clans and limited to members of the same clan. Strongholds enables clans to build structures using the "Industrial Resource". In release 9.2 structures built in strongholds can be leveled up from 1 to 4 and will each provide a different benefit to the clan. In future releases structures will be able to reach level 10. The type of structure will determine the benefit to the clan and the level of the structure will determine the amount of that benefit. Strongholds is planned to have 3 battle modes however the introduction of Strongholds in 9.2 consists of only the Skirmish mode. Similar to Tank Companies, clans that wish to participate in skirmishes will select a level of a skirmish battle (Medium, Champion, or Absolute). Medium will include tiers 1-6, Champion will include tiers 1-8, and Absolute will allow all tiers from 1-10. Clans will form up a detatchment of up to 7 tanks for Medium, 10 tanks for Champion, and 15 tanks for Absolutes. Once formed the leader of the detatchment will enter a battle queue. They will fight a randomly matched team from that queue. Currently there is no matchmaking component. Each Skirmish battle will provide your clan with the Strongholds currency, known as "Industrial Resource". When you build up this resource, clans can develop "Reserves", which are basically boosts to your earnings in all types of battles (including random battles). Industrial Resource also allows you to level up your structures, which makes your Reserves give you bigger boosts. You can use the Reserves whenever your clan decides will be most beneficial to you. To see a full list of the Reserves that are available, see this page (about 2/3 of the way down). Only one reserve can be used at a time and once triggered the benefit will last 2 hours. The following is a list of how clan roles apply to Strongholds: Commander - Create/Delete Stronghold, Manage Clan Settings (such as time for defending one's own Stronghold), + everything below Dep Comm - Open/Close a "Zone" (each road), build structures, manage Reserves, Attack enemy Strongholds, + everything below Field Comm - Manage Skirmish teams, + everything below All others - Ability to choose which structure their share of battle earnings apply to, create Skirmish teams, view information about your own clan's stronghold Here is a list of Structures and the bonuses they can provide. Structure Reserves Bonus Type Maximum Value* Financial Unit Battle Payments Increased earnings for all battles (Credits) Up to 50% Tankodrome Tactical Training Increased earnings for all battles (XP) Up to 50% Military School Military Maneuvers Increased earnings for all battles (Free XP) Up to 50% Training Unit Additional Briefing Increased earnings for all battles (Crew XP) Up to 100% Transportation Unit High-Capacity Transport Increased earnings for all Skirmishes (Industrial Resources) Up to 100% In a future release Strongholds will be able to reach levels 5-10 and will open the Attack and Defense battle options in the Strongholds game mode. If a Stronghold is upgraded to level 5 other clans will be able to utilize the Attack battle option to target the Stronghold. The clan owning the Stronghold will have a preset Stronghold defense time window and will need to defend it from attack during that window. The effects a successful raid or a failed defense is still being determined. ='Removed Game Modes'= Historical Battle ---- A variant of standard battles using a separate queue to join, released in 9.0. Uses a limited selection of historically-inspired scenarios at a given time that can be changed at will. Notable in that all tanks which participate in a battle are restricted to specific module and ammo setups unique to each tank and normally in line with the configuration which would have been encountered in that engagement. Crew, consumables, camo, and equipment however carry over from whatever configuration of the tank is in the player's garage and do have an effect in battle. Criticized in its first (9.0) iteration for long queue times, MM balance issues, tank balance issues stemming from using tanks balanced for random battles situations (which tend to make higher-tier historical tanks even more powerful in historical mode), lack of incentive for playing lower-tier tanks in a given lineup, and lack of features separating the mode from normal standard battles once in battle, historical battles is generally considered to have been incomplete at launch. WG has promised to continue development on this mode in the future, including such features as separate stats for HB mode for each tank as well as respawn mechanics and economic incentives for lower-tier tanks which do play. Historical Battles was removed from World of Tanks for rework and revision in the 9.2 update. Confrontation Battle ---- A type of random battle in which each team consisted of tanks from one single nation. China and Japan were excluded, due to their complete lack of several tank classes. Confrontation battles were introduced in patch 8.11 and removed the very next, in patch 9.0. This was due to imbalance, where the play styles of some nations completely countered those of others. ='Possible Future Game Modes'= Most info taken from this post of Overlords Blog, with updates from this post and most recently this post. Garage Battle ---- Prior to battle, you can select up to five of your tanks from your garage. When you die in battle, you respawn with the next tank on your list. :Status: in development. Frontline ---- Frontline battles are similar to their 15 vs 15 counterparts aside from the fact that there are now 30 tanks on each team. The main goals of the 30 vs 30 battle project are to A) increase of maximum map size and B) introduce 30 vs 30 battles. The main issue with 30 vs 30 battles is heavy client/server side performance impacts. Currently, the development team is researching the possibilities to solve this problem, but there are no guarantees of this being implemented in the near future. :Status: In Development. VIP Escort ---- Only a few tanks from the team have the ability to capture enemy's base, the opposite team has to defend the base or destroy all the invaders. :Status: no longer in development after tests showed random players lacked the required ability to team-play. Clan Wars Release ---- Clan Wars beta will last until a roaming feature allowing players from RU, EU and US servers to play against each other, competing for the same provinces on the global map. :Status: in development category:Tutorials/Guides